The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1887-10-14

many worries and disappointmeuts and
secret bitternesscs during my forty odd
years of existence to wish that this state
OF affairs should be continued indefinitely,
And yet I suppose that my life has been,
comparatively speaking, n happy one.
And then, rejecting that at the present
moment there was far moro likelihood OF
our earthly careers being cut exceedingly
short than of their being unduly prolonged.
lat last managed to get to sleep, a fact for
which anybody who reads this narrative.
II anybody ever does, may very probably
be thankful.
When woke again it was Just dawning,
and the guard and bearers wero moving
about like ghosts through tho dense morn
Ing mists, getting ready for our start. The
tire had died quite down, and l rose and
stretched myself, shivering in cvcry limb
from the damp cold Of the dawn. Then I
booked at Leo. He was sitting up. holding
his hands to his head, and l saw that his
face was flushed and his eye bright. and
yet yellow round the pupil.
SWELL, Leo" 1 said, chow do you fecl,n
II feel Us though were going to die.n
10 answered hoarsely. "NIy head is split
ting, my body is trembling, and I am Al
sick Us a cat"
Iwhistlcd, or IL I did not whistle, I felt
inclined to-Leo had got n sharp attack of
fever. I went to job, and asked him for
the quinine, Of which fortunately we had
still a good supply, only to find that Job
himself was not much better. He COM
planned of pains across his back, and dir
illness, and was almost incapable of help
ing himself. Then l did tho only thing
1t was possible to do under tho circum.
stances-gave them both about ten grains
Of quinine, and took q Slightly smaller
dose myself US q matter of prccaution.
After that I found Billaii, and explained
to him bow matters stool, asking ut the
same time what he thought had best bo
done. He came will, mo and looked al
Leo and Job (who,n, by the way, he had
named the Pig, OH account of his fatness,
round face. and small cycs).
"Ah," he said, when we were out of ear.
shot, 1.-THE feverl Thought so. The Lion
has it badly; but he is young, and he may
live. As for the Pig, his attack is not so
bad; 1t is the little fever that he has; that
always begins with pains across the back;
1t will spend itself upon his fat"
Scan they so IN, my father?" I asked.
"Nay, my son, they must go on. II they
stop here they will certainly die; and be-
sides, they will DO better i'll the litters than
on the ground. BY tonight if oil goes
well, we shall be across the marsh and in
good air. Come, let lis lift them into the
filters and start, for it is very bad to stand
still in this morning fog. We can eat our
morning meal us we 60"
This we accordingly did, and with a
heavy heart l once more set out upon our
strange journey. For the first three hours
all went rs we'll as could be expected, and
then an accident happened that nearly lost
us the pleasure of the company of u VEN
cradle friend Billali, whose litter WAS lead
Ing t~hecavalcade. We were going through
q particularly dangerous piece of quag-
mire, in which the bearers sometimes uni
up u their knees. Indeed. it was a lnys-
tory 10 nae how they contrivcd to carry the
heavy lttcrs at all over such ground as
that which VIC were trayersing, though tho
two spare hands, Us we'll as the four regl-
lar ones, had Of course to put their shoui-
ders to the pole.
Presently, as we Numbered and fioun.
dered along, there was n sharp cry, then q
storm of EXPLANATIONS, and, last of all, a
most tremendous splash, and tho whole
caravan halted.
dumped out Of my litter and ran for
ward. About twenty yards ahead was the
edge Of n of those sullcn peaty pools OF
which I have spoken, the path we were
following running along the top of its
bank, which, as it happened, vas q stecI
one. Looking toward this pool, to my hor
r0r I saw that Billali's litter was floating
on 1t, and As for Billali himself, ne wa.
nowhere to be seen. To make matters
clear I may as well explain at once wha'
happened. One of Billali's bearers had
unfortunately troddcn OF q basking snake
which had bitten him in the leg, wherein
he had, not ~unnaturally, let go of the pole
and then finding he was tumbling dow
the bank, grasped at the litter to save him
self. The result Of this was what nigh
ave been expected. Tho litter was pulled
1ver the edge of the bank, the bearers le
go, and the whole thing, including Billal
and the man who had been bitten, rollet
into the Shiny pool. When I got to th.
edge Of the water neither Of them was Y
be seen, and, indeed, the unfortunate beaI
er never was seen again. Either he strucl
hishead against something, or got wedges
in the mud, or possibly the snake-bite par
alyzcd him. At any rate, he vanished
But though Billali was not to be seen, n
whereabouts was clear enough from tn
agitation of the floating litter, in the bear
ing cloth and curtains Of which hs was en-
tangledl
"He is therel Our father Is therei" sal
ono Of the men; but no did not stir . finge
= to help him, nor did any Of the other'
They simply stood and stared at the watel
"Out Of the way. you brutesr / shoute
In English. and throwing Oh my hat,
took . run and spFung well out into II